JOHN T. WINDLE MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM
101 East Third Street
Madison, Indiana 47250 In 1815, John Paul and Jonathan Lyon
received a grant from President James Madison for the land upon which the John
T. Windle Memorial Auditorium now stands. (Recorded March 20, 1815.)
In 1833, the land was acquired by the Trustees of the
Second Presbyterian Church and the present building was erected in 1835 at a
cost of about $8,000 including the lot.
The building and land remained in the hands of the Second
Presbyterian Church until 1923 at which time they were conveyed to Mr. Frank P.
Vail. The building was used as the Vail Memorial Chapel until the year 1929 when
the property was purchased by the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church which retained
title until purchased by Historic Madison, Inc. on June 30,1961.
The architect, Edwin J. Peck, was born in New Haven,
Connecticut in 1806 and came to Indianapolis to superintend the masonry work on
the State House then being erected. Frank Leslie’s “Chimney Corner” column “The
Self-Made Men of Our Times” (Sept. 16, 1871) mentions that he had the
superintendency and contract for several important structures in different parts
of the State—Madison, Terre Haute, Lafayette and South Bend.
This fine Greek Revival building is said to be the oldest
existing public building in the city and one of the most notable examples of its
style in the middle west.
The front facade has a recessed entrance in the distyle-in-antis
mode, flanked on either side by three matched pilasters extending to the
entablature, giving a well-regulated rhythm to the entire front facade. The
entablature above the entrance bears Greek triglyphs rising to a fine Classic
cornice. The two massive columns in the entrance, which are slightly tapered and
heavily fluted, are Doric. The exterior walls are covered with stucco and
troweled smooth.
The auditorium, comprising almost all of the main floor,
rests on a high foundation and is approached by eleven steps at the street
entrance.
Historic Madison, Inc. was founded in 1960 by Mr. John
Windle. At Mr. Windle’s death in February of 1987, the building, then known as
the Historic Madison Auditorium, was renamed the John T. Windle Memorial
Auditorium. It is available to the community for public meetings and programs.
The offices of Historic Madison, Inc. are located in the lower level.
For more information on the John T. Windle Auditorium or any Other Historic
Madison, Inc Building . Call 812-265-2967 or E-mail at
hmihmfi@seidata.com
